Crimson Serpent Co
(this is a LARP group from NoCal who have played in our system several times, but have not been seen in-game, I think, since September 1998. I am not sure if the contact e-mail address is still accurate. - Mike A.) Devices and Uniforms: The Crimson Serpent Company is best known by their black tabards with a red dragon upon the center of the breast. The dragon is a mixture of Asian and European elements. Senior fighters and command staff have tabards bordered in red, Men-at-arms have black tabards, red dragon, and black trim, and hirelings have black tabard, black trim, and no dragon. The Commander wears black leather vambraces with the red dragon carved in relief. They have been known to travel quite light and mobile but in full formation they camp with a compound comprising four ten foot by ten foot pavilions connected by twenty feet of walls between each, forming a forty foot by forty foot fortress. Deity: There is no formal company deity. The first loyalty MUST be to the company however. Goal: The Crimson Serpent Company has always sought to be a balancing force in the land. They are “Professional Fighting Company” and NOT a “Mercenary Company”. They define this by fighting for profit and for causes, as they deem appropriate. In their entire history there has never been a case of the company changing sides without due formal resignation. The goal is to increase the size of the company while admitting ONLY the members deemed worthy of skill and in line with the company ideals. Territory: Although the Crimson Serpents tend to operate mostly in the western portion of Xaria, the company has been known to operate wherever and whenever they are contracted to do so. There are no limits to their operational theater. There has even been whispers that a Crimson Serpent had been on the island of Shorn to discuss, and later turn down a proposal to help Duke Marlon XXXII kill the Querlings. Genesis: The Crimson Serpent Company was formed in Icara in the year 387 by Robert of Herndale. On a particularly dark day a band of goblins descended upon the village on the border of Uragoth and which was under the protection of the Lord of Herndale. Robert was in a most unpleasant situation, he was duty bound to defend his village, but most of his fighting men had joined the Icaran Army to go fight the war against Karandia. Robert chose to fulfill his obligation to the village even if it meant the end of his life. Robert had only three warriors left with any battle experience. They quickly armed themselves and rode into the village. When they arrived, they found that the goblins numbered at least fifteen able fighters. Placing their souls into the hands of the almighty the Lord Robert and his three warriors charged into the fray. How exactly they managed to win that day is unclear, however word quickly spread of the outcome of the battle. Soon Robert was receiving requests from many other villages and nobles who were being plagued by other groups of orcs and goblins, along with the bandits taking easy pickings while the fighters were away. Robert was also receiving letters and visits from would be heroes who wished to join forces with him. Robert was the kind of man who believed that nobility was not a birthright, but something which was defined by one’s own actions, Robert quickly organized the best of them into a fighting unit, dressed them in his red and black family colors (but not with the Crimson Serpent emblem yet) and began to offer help wherever he could. They were known as Herndale’s Force. Soon however the cost of housing, training, equipping and transporting the group became too much for Robert. He was about to disband the group when his seneschal suggested that he could charge enough for their services that they could offset their time and expenses. Although originally against the notion of a man of honor charging to do good deeds, Robert soon realized that it was either charge them and be able to help, or not charge them and not be able to help at all. Robert did occasionally offer his company’s services to those too poor to pay that truly needed his services, however, being a pragmatic man he simply charged the wealthy clients a little more to make up the difference. It did not take more than a couple of years before the region around southern Icara was fairly safe and secure. As they had less and less local problems to deal with, the Force received more and more requests from farther away. It became obvious to Robert that his Force needed to be a mobile free company. Robert gave all of his rights and duties for Herndale over to his younger brother William of Herndale. Living a life on the road did not allow Robert the opportunity to marry and have children. So when it became time for him to retire he chose one of his Captains, a man by the name of Ian Fraser, as his successor. Ian was a Gherin Culloch warrior who had left his clan in search of fame and glory in the many wars to the south. Ian had distinguished himself in a battle in Karandia, fighting on the side of the Karads. Herndale’s Force was fighting for the Icarans. Ian fought well, but his unit was taken captive. One of the men-at-arms of the Force had the unfortunate pleasure of facing the great claymore Fraser wielded. As Ian was being marched off in chains, he happened to notice this man-at-arms and called out to him. Ian followed the hail with “ You fought well lad, not many men woulda’ had the ballocks to face me one ta one as ya’ done”. This exchange was observed by the man’s Captain, who then took it upon himself to pay the large Culloch’s ransom. He decided that any man who was honest enough and honorable enough to say that to an enemy, deserved better than a life of slavery. Well, as it turned out Ian worked out very well. Not only was he honest and honorable, he was also one hell of a fighter. Ian managed to distinguish himself over and over again on the field of battle, both as warrior and as a leader. Ian demonstrated a good head for business also, and when promoted to Captain, he also proved to be very level-headed and even-tempered with his men. It is no wonder that Robert chose him to be the first man to command the Force outside of the Herndale family. In fact, it was Ian who took one of the most powerful, feared and wizened creatures in Glen Culloch’s mythos, a dragon, and adopted it into the red and black colors of the Force. Then, since the Force was no longer under the command of Herndale, Ian renamed the group as the Crimson Serpent Company. Past: The history of the Crimson Serpent Company is kept within the company and only comes out as occasional rumors. A few of these rumors include helping to end the civil war on Chalter Medrium in 425 and assisting in returning the land of Telumar to the hands of it’s people in 488 (in fact, it has been whispered that a Crimson Serpent actually enters Telumar without the usual border investigation). There are further rumors of only three of the Crimson Serpents holding off a dozen Rynith Guards, double that in orcs and single handedly slaying a demon during the attempted peace talks of Gherin Culloch in 496. Present: The Crimson Serpent Company has begun to make a name for itself in the lands around Icara. Although constantly reminded by the Brigadier-Marshall Stang that the land is now under Marshal Law and being from Icara they should enlist in his army. The company has politely declined this request and, seeing as how it was mostly their help in the past that stopped Icara from being overrun by monsters from Uragoth during their wars with Karandia, Stang has kindly not insisted. They recently encountered the Rynith Guard and their first meeting was, shall we say, tense. Although requested to only guard the bride to be until the groom arrived, the company basically became the guardians of the peace talks of Gherin Culloch. Alliances: Their first encounter with the Rynith Guard was tense, but yielded a certain level of mutual respect. In the view of the Commander, the Guard is a little less disciplined than he would like, and less than clear as to their moral stance and modus operandi, but they are capable and their leader showed himself to be a man of wisdom. Not really an alliance, more of a non-aggression pact. Enemies: Most would-be enemies are dead. As far as vengeful friends, associates, relatives, etc.... who knows. There are still a few tribes of goblins and other nasties in Uragoth who tell tales of the evil red snakes that kill their kind while laughing. Leadership: The Crimson Serpent Company is lead by a Commander, who is supported by Captains. There is only one other Staff rank and that is of Cook. The rank and file are in order, are senior fighters, men-at-arms, and hirelings. A new Commander is chosen from amongst the Captains. If the Commander is alive the decision is exclusive. If not, then the surviving Captains (if the Commander is dead, some Captains had better have gone with) will choose, if no choice can be made, then the one who survives the “Commanders challenge” is the captain. This is a secret rite known only to the command staff. If there is no command staff to choose from, then the cook is next, followed by a free-for-all amongst the troops. Decisions flow top to bottom, with major policies changes or contracts coming usually after open discussion. Divisions: None. There are currently 30 Crimson Serpents “on active duty”, performing the various contracts we have active, as well as working as border guards between Icara and Uragoth while not under contract. However, there are over 300 warriors that have been affiliated with the Crimson Serpents in the past that, for a large contract could take up the tabard and join the Company, being completely mobilized in 3 days. Code & Prohibitions: Rule number one, The Company is First Rule number two, The Company is Last These rules tend to be broad enough to insure that the members do not perform actions contrary to the best interest of the company. If a member need to follow a course that would conflict with the interests of the company they can inform their superior, remove the tabard, and attend their business. Recruitment: The most common membership process is personal recommendation. The second most common method is by observed behavior (usually followed by a personal recommendation being made). The third method is the Crimson Serpent Trials (usually only done for mass recruitment, either after a particularly devastating loss, or prior to a large contract) These trials last a full 24 hours and test the petitioners physically, mentally and emotionally. Typical Member: The typical member is very confident(i.e. arrogant), usually a loner with the ability to operate as a team player when needed. Specialized individuals are sometimes around but the norm tends towards jack-of-all-trades fighters. Most have mass weapon, polearm, missile weapon, and personal weapon ready at all times to be employed as the need arises. There is no racial or cultural bias within the group. Generally Known: The company has a reputation for doing whatever is necessary to get the job done In-Character Quote: “You can do anything in this life, if you are willing to pay the price”. Red file: WYSIWYG - There is no hidden agenda for the Crimson Serpents, as of yet… Out-of-Game Contact: Teric is second in command (Senior Captain), all correspondence should flow through him to the Commander. Easiest way to contact him is via electronic parchment at markm@watt.com.